The present invention relates to a printer provided with a communication device.
To select and acquire desired image data from a web site desired by a user in a case where an image provided from an information site and others on a network is printed using a printer, a communication terminal such as a personal computer is required. A communication terminal sends image data selected and acquired using communication means thereof or image data generated by the communication terminal per se to a printer, the printer executes predetermined processing for an image to be printed and prints it.
As described above, as a printer per se is not provided with a function for selecting and acquiring image data, a simplex printer has little utility value and a communication terminal for communication such as a personal computer is required to be separately prepared. If image data is acquired from an external information site utilizing a telephone line originally laid at home and others, the telephone line is occupied by a communication terminal during communication for the acquisition and a user cannot use make a phone call. The above is one cause which prevents a printer from being popularized particularly at a general home. Generally, it is difficult to say that the operation of a communication terminal (particularly the connecting operation to the communication network) and a printer is extremely simple as the handling of a television set and a telephone set. It is extremely important as the merchandise strategy of an enterprise that the operation of the above equipment is as much simplified as possible to reduce the load of a user and multiple functions are mounted on a simplex machine to enhance the added value of merchandise.